Bead chain type article or key holder and display means therefor



Jan. 6, 1953 "r. M. JABLON BEAD CHAIN TYPE ARTICLE, OR KEY HOLDER, AND DISPLAY MEANS THEREFOR Filed Jan. 26, 1949 Patented Jan. 6, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EEAD' CHAIN TYPE ARTICLE R KEY HOLDER AND DISPLAY MEANS THERE-- FOR 3 Claims.

This invention relates to bead chain type articles employing two-socketed bead chain couplings, and also to the combination of such an article with a display means or display card. More particularized, this relates to bead chain type key holders or key chains attachable to or mounted upon a display card.

It is among the objects to provide such a combination of a bead chain type article, for examplea key chain or key holder with a display card, which is simple and easy to handle and manipulate, which is attractive in appearance, in which combination the article is securely and compactly held by the card yet without the use of staples and stapling machines, and where the article is readily attachable to and detachable from the card.

These objects are attained by providing a special interlocking relationship between the card and the bead chain coupling or coupling shell; in this instance, the two-socketed coupling has a main lateral opening as well as an auxiliary opening opposite the main opening, and the thus shaped shell is insertable into a specially shaped cutout in the card, such that the shell is held by the cardin a manner whereby it is longitudinally bisectioned by the plane of the card.

That isto say, the card is provided with an elongated substantially dumb-bell-shaped cutout-having an intermediate constricted portion defined by a pairof tongue portions, and the coupling shell is heldin and by the cutout with each of the end portions or socket portions of the shell lodging in a respective end portion of the cutout, and the tongue portions of the cutout extending into the main opening and into the auxiliary opening respectively of the shell so that the constricted portion of the cutout is disposed within the hollow of the coupling shell.

More particularly, abead chain type article proposed by this invention is in the form of a key holder providing a pair of interconnected key holding loops whereby groups of keys can be kept separate by the respective loops, which loops can be individually opened and closed. This double-loop or duplex-loop key holder has intermediate coupling means which allow detaching of one loop from the other and recombining them at will. In this way, one or more special keys can be held by on loop separate from others held by the other loop, without necessitating the opening of a loop itself inorder to remove a key or keys.

Another object is to devise a double-loop or twin-loop-keyholder comprising a pair of'ohain 2 loops detachable from each other, which is simple, compact, easy to manipulate, and inexpensive to produce.

A further object is to produce a double-loop key holder which is attractive in appearance and which is so constituted that it lends itself to an attractive combination with and attachment to a display card, that is an attachment of the key holder to the card in a manner whereby they are not only simple to combine with each other securely, but whereby the key holder when attached to thecard presents thereon an attractive display pattern.

These objects are attained by providing a pair of chain loops each of which when closed presents a free chain end portion, together with coupling means for disconnectibly interconnecting the two free end portions and by which coupling means the key holder is attachable to a display card.

According to one feature two lengths of bead chain are interconnected by a coupling, and each length of chain in turn is formed to constitute a loop by means of a coupling whereby the outer end of each length or locp is connectible to an intermediate bead near the other or inner end of that length of head chain.

Thus there are provided in this assembly three couplings or coupling members in a row, the middle one serving. as interconnection of the two loops, whil each of the two outer ones serves as an independent closure means for each loop.

More specifically the double-loop key holder comprises three two-socketed bead chain coupling members or shells in a row, each coupling member having a lateral main or entrance opening and opposite to it a lateral extra opening. The middle or interconnecting coupling in this combination is utilized to implement the attachment of the key holder to a display card, in that a receiving opening in the card is so shaped or contoured that it provides a pair of contour portions which enter respective openings of the middle coupling member, and which retain the coupling member upon the card in a position whereby the plane of the card bisects the member longitudinally.

That is to say, there is provided a horizontally extending receiving opening in the display card, which opening has an intermediate constriction providing a pair of projections or tongues or contour portions which extend towards each other and engage in the respective openings of the coupling, namely the main entrance opening and the extra opening.

Thus in one embodiment the arrangement in the combination of the key holder with the card is such that the two chain loops depend or extend downwardly one from each end of the horizontally disposed coupling shell.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows the double-loop key holder with the loops open, as represented by two lengths of bead chain combined with three coupling shells.

Fig. 2 shows the double-loop key holder with the loops closed.

Fig. 3 shows the double-loop key holder with the loops closed but with one loop detached from the other.

Fig. 4 shows the double-loop key holder as combined with and attached to a display card.

Fig. 5 is a side view taken on line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view of the intermediate coupling shell as mounted upon the card shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 shows an embodiment of the configuration or contour shape of the receiving opening in the card, for the mounting of the intermediate coupling shell.

Fig. 8 is a detail longitudina] sectional view of the intermediate coupling shell taken on line 88 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 9 is a detail cross-sectional view of the intermediate coupling shell taken on line 9-9 of Fig. 4.

Figures 10, 11, 12 are views of a coupling shell for bead chain as herein employed; Fig. 11 showing a side view; Fig. 10 a side View taken on line lfll of Fig. 11; Fig. 12 a side view taken on line l2-l2 of Fig. 11.

Figure 13 is an end view of the coupling shell taken on l3l3 of Figure 10.

The component portions of the double-loop key holder (see Fig. 1) comprise a pair of lengths of bead chain designated as L1 and L2 respectively, a coupling shell C1 interconnecting the lengths L1 and L2, and a pair of closure coupling shells C2 and C3. The shell C2 is attached to the length L1 and the shell C3 to the length L2 in such a manner that their lateral main entrance openings I0 and l l respectively face towards the intermediate coupling shell C1 while their lateral extra openings I8 and I l respectively face away from the coupling C1 and towards the respective outer ends of the lengths L1 and L2. Bead chain as such is well known and consists of hollow beads B interconnected by stems S about which they can swivel.

A suitable intermediate bead of each of the chain lengths L1 and L2 may be selected for attachment thereto of the coupling shells C2 and C3. In the present example, referring to the length L1, a bead Bm being the third from the inner end of the length L1 is shown to have the coupling C2 attached thereto, that is the bead B21 lodging in the inner end socket I? of the coupling member while its outer end socket I3 is adapted to receive and hold the outer end bead B0 of the length L1 as is indicated by a dot-and-dash arrow A1. The inner end bead of the chain length L1 is designated as B1 and is shown to be lodging in and held by one socket S1 of the intermediate coupling shel1 C1.

Similarly, the coupling shell C3 is shown to be held by an intermediate bead Bm of the chain length L2, the bead lodging in the inner end socket I l of shell C2, while the inner end bead B'1 of chain length L2 is held by the socket S2 of coupling shell C1. The outer end bead B's of the chain length L2 is adapted to enter and to be held by the outer end socket I of coupling shell C3 as 4 is indicated by a dot-and-dash line arrow A2. The total longitudinally extended length of the two interconnected chain portions L1 and L2 is designated as L2.

The coupling shell C1 like the coupling shells C2 and C3 has a lateral main entrance opening 16 and opposite to it an extra lateral opening I! (see detail views of Figures 10, 11, and 12).

According to Fig. 2 the lengths L1 and L2 are shown to have been formed into chain loops O1 and 02 respectively by inserting and anchoring the outer end beads Bo and B'o in the outer sockets I3 and I5 respectively of the respective coupling shells C2 and C2. Thus there is provided articulation as well as swivel connection between the middle coupling C1 and the outer couplings C2 and C3 by interposed beads B5 and B's. The total length of the assemb y of Fig. 2 is designated as O. The loops O1 and 02 can be detached from one another as exemplified in Fig. 3, and can be re-combined by re-inserting bead B1 in end socket S1 of coupling C1 as is indicated by dot-and-dash line arrow A3.

Figures 4 to 9 show the combination of the double loop key holder of Fig. 2 with a display card D as well as the manner of their interconnection. The feature of this combination is that the middle coupling shell C1 is held horizontally in and by a specially shaped receiving opening Of the card. In the embodiment shown the loops O1 and 02 with their couplings C2 and C3 depend as a pair from the respective ends of the middle coupling. The lower ends of the loops may be fastened to the card as by wire staples or the like.

The manner of connecting the middle coupling C1 with the card is illustrated in the detail views of Figures 6, 7, 8, 9, showing a portion D1 of the card D provided with a specially shaped opening. This opening has a horizontally extending length H1 sumcient and adapted to receive the length H2 of the coupling member C1 horizontally disposed. The opening in the present embodiment comprises a pair of round areas [9 and 20 also designated by their diameters (Z1 and 112, and a horizontally interconnecting area 2|. Thus there is formed a, horizontally extending receiving opening having an intermediate constriction as represented by a pair of protrusions or tongue portions 22 and 23, which portions extend towards each other. The middle coupling member C1 is insertable into the opening in such a manner that the protrusions 22 and 23 catch in respective openings I 6 and H of the coupling which 18 retained on and by the card which so to speak bisects the coupling longitudinally as is illustrated in Fig. 9.

What I claim is:

1. In combination a bead chain type article comprising a two-socketed bead chain coupling shell having a main lateral opening and an auxiliary lateral opening opposite said main opening, and a card provided with an elongated substantlally dumb-bell-shaped cutout having an intermediate constricted portion defined by a pair of tongue portions, said shell being held in said cutout while being longitudinally bisectioned by the plane of the card, with the end portions of said shell each lodging in a respective end portion of said cutout, and the tongue portions extending into the main opening and into the auxiliary Opening respectively so that said constricted portion is disposed within the hollow of the coupling s ell.

2. In combination a double loop key-holder comprising two lengths of bead chain, a. twosocketed intermediate coupling shell having a main lateral opening and an auxiliary lateral opening opposite the main opening and interconnecting the inner end beads of said lengths of bead chain, a pair of two-socketed outer coupling shells having said intermediate shell disposed end-to-end between them, each said outer shell having a lateral main opening and a lateral auxiliary opening opposite the main opening, each said length forming a loop closed by its outer shell, the loop-forming portion of said length extending through said shell by way of said auxiliary opening in such a manner that an intermediate bead near the inner end bead lodge in the inner end socket of the shell, while the outer end bead of said length lodges in the outer socket of the shell; and a card provided with a substantially dumb-bell-shaped cutout having an intermediate constricted portion defined by a pair of tongue portions of the card, said intermediate shell being held in said cutout and longitudinally bisectioned by the plane of the card, with the end portions of said shell each lodging in a respective end portion of the cutout, and the tongue REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 526,523 Fisher Sept. 25, 1894 1,157,917 Allen Oct. 26, 1915 1,639,672 Schraysshuen Aug. 23, 1927 1,692,649 Goodridge et a1. Nov. 20, 1928 1,720,472 Gagnon July 9, 1929 1,734,032 Evans Nov. 5, 1929 

